The Stage is Set
by IamDragonFury
Summary: Following the end of the pacifist route, after Frisk and the monsters have gone to the surface, Asriel remains below, musing among the bed golden flowers, hoping for the best, only to be interrupted by a persistent reminder that the game will never be over, no matter how much he wishes it to be.


The Stage is Set

Finally a new Undertale story, I have been wanting to do this for a while now, I have just hella occupied. Between trying to get into game making, playing with FL Studio 20, art stuff, video games and the like, man, I have a LOT to keep me occupied.

But, I am still playing Undertale and I have been itching to get back into writing, so, here we go.

* * *

Following the destruction of the barrier that sealed off the Underground, young human Frisk and all of Monsterkind had made their way to the surface, leaving the world below empty...almost empty. For at the start of the Underground, sat the young goat monster, Asriel Dreemurr, among a bed of golden flowers fraught with memories of the past, joyful and painful.

Earlier, just before leaving for the surface, Frisk had paid a visit to the area and had one last talk with the formerly fallen prince, why he had come back he did not say, but, Asriel took the moment as an opportunity to give vital information and advice to the human boy. Things he had been longing to tell someone for ages he finally got to, though he had no way of knowing or ensuring that his guidance stuck with the human child.

"Oh...please, stay safe..." Asriel murmured, looking up at the opening that lead to the Underground, sunlight pouring in, stroking the petals of a golden flower.

Just then, he heard a sound, it started our soft, but, gradually grew louder, it was the sound of someone clapping. Asriel did not turn around to see his other "visitor", because, he already knew exactly who it was and he was _not _happy that they were there.

"Chara," Asriel questioned bitterly as the newly revived child approached him, "what do you want?"

"Oh, nothing," Chara said, swiping a golden flower from the ground, "I just feel it proper to praise an actor for a job well done."

Asriel kept his gaze fixed firmly on the flower bed, he refused to make eye contact with his former "brother".

"What do you mean?" he asked warily.

Chara pinched the petals of the flower in his hand, Asriel did not look at him, but, he could feel the condescending smile on the formerly human boy's face.

"Just, wow, I thought _I _was a good liar," Chara voiced haughtily, "I mean, I _am _a good liar, a damn good liar, but, you...that was truly a spectacle to behold."

The goat child did not move.

"_I can't keep maintaining this form_," Chara quoted, recounting Asriel's words to Frisk, "_I'll turn back into flower, I'll stop being myself_."

He then cackled, his laugh so loud it echoed off the cavern walls.

"Boy did you sell it," the brown-haired boy remarked, his voice dripping with derision, "hell, I almost believed you...almost."

Asriel sighed deeply.

"I just wanted Frisk to leave this place behind," he affirmed, "and I wanted to be alone..."

He then turned his head slightly, but, still did not look at Chara.

"So if you don't mind..." he pressed sourly.

"Well," Chara interjected, "what are you gonna do when Frisk comes back and finds out you lied to him?"

A lengthy, awkward silence filled the cavern.

"Have you...not thought about that?" the once-human boy queried, "Or are you purposely trying to ignore that possibility, meekly hoping it never happens...which it will?"

Asriel sighed again and looked up at the cavern's opening.

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." he stated.

"So you have thought about it, good," Chara voiced, "I assume you've also thought about what to say when your parents find out you're alive?"

"Do you not have anything better to do!?" Asriel snapped.

Chara plucked a petal off of the flower in his hand.

"Don't worry, I'm going," he affirmed, "I just wanted to have an idea of what to look forward to next."

"For what?" the goat boy prompted irritably.

Chara smiled, the familiar darkness flashing across his eyes.

"For the next part of the game of course," he expressed scornfully, "it's not over, you know it's not, and you're deplorable for even trying to convince yourself or anyone else otherwise."

Asriel said nothing, choosing to not dignify his claims with a response.

"Come on, Asriel, lighten up," Chara patronized, "you can't pretend that you _didn't _have fun with me, once upon a time, and now that we're both more powerful than we ever were before, we can have even more fun."

"I'm done playing with you." Asriel uttered resentfully.

Chara laughed again.

"You say that like I gave you a choice," the previously-human child said pompously, "well in truth, yes, you do have a choice, there's always a choice, so let's think about it."

He walked onto the bed of flowers and stood over Asriel, forcing the goat child to look at him.

"Will you join the next part of this game," Chara questioned, "or are Frisk and I supposed to play it by ourselves?"

As he processed what Chara just said, it took everything Asriel had to not lose control of his emotions.

"I won't. Let you. Hurt. Frisk." Asriel avowed firmly.

His former "brother" smiled.

"I'll take that as you choosing to join us." Chara stated proudly.

With that, he pulled away and walked off of the flowers.

"All right, I'll get out of your hair now," the brown-haired boy expressed, "I have work to do."

"What-" Asriel was about to question him again, only to find that he had disappeared.

He looked back down at the bed of flowers and clenched his little fists, pounding them in the grass a few times in frustration. It seemed that there really was nothing that could deter Chara.

"Okay," the goat monster boy muttered, "okay, I'll play, if you won't quit and I can't beat you, then I'll just have to do what I did long ago...hinder you."

* * *

I have said this before and I will say it again, I will never get tired of writing evil/asshole Chara.

While I tend to disconnect Frisk and Chara from the players for the sake of the story, of course, I do project some of my ideas onto them, case in point Chara's whole thing about being certain that Frisk will return how the game was not over represents that fact that regardless of what Asriel or Flowey said at the end of the game, he cannot expect to just be forgotten. Also, the fact that no matter what, the game will continue, it will always be there to be played, I know I have replayed the game nearly a dozen times now, give or take, sure I only play pacifist, but, it does not change the fact that I have restarted the game from the beginning and all to see Asriel again.

I wrote this based on a theory I saw on a video on Youtube from the channel Underlab, in which they propose the possibility that Asriel was actually _lying _about turning back into Flowey, how he would "stop being himself", and simply wanted to be left alone, at least for a while. Also with that theory, they propose that we still do not know the full extent of what Soul power is capable of.

**Yes, I know that when you start up a new game, Flowey appears and talks to you, I cannot remember if that was addressed in the video, but, I have my own input on that for the theory which I will elaborate on in a future fic.**

I had been wanting to do a new timeline story of Undertale for a long time, I just was not sure how, but, I think I finally have something I can work with, I HOPE.


End file.
